Letter of Recommendation

A letter of recommendation is a letter where the author details and vouches for the capabilities, character traits, and overall quality of the person being recommended. This can be from a professional, employment, academic, or personal perspective.

These letters are also called a reference letter, recommendation letter, letter of reference, or just reference. They are most commonly used in the hiring process as part of the employment verification step where they are called an employment reference or job reference.

3 Perfect Letter of Recommendation Templates:

1. Basic letter of recommendation.

I am writing to recommend [full name of person you’re recommending] for [what you’re recommending them for].

I have known [person you’re recommending] since [date] as [capacity in which you’ve known the person, i.e. “good friend,” “co-worker,” etc.].

I have always known [person you’re recommending] to be [qualities the person has, such as “honest,” “loyal,” “hard-working”].

Based on our experience together, I can confidently recommend [person you’re recommending] for [thing you’re recommending them for].

Sincerely,

[Your Name + Signature]

Here’s the secret about letters of recommendation. No one wants it to be long and complicated. The last thing anyone wants is a multi-page letter. The person receiving the letter is busy too, and chances are the letter is a formality. They just need to be sure that you really recommend the person, and that you’re in a position to provide a strong recommendation.

2. Personal or character letter of recommendation.

Dear [Mr./Mrs./Ms./To Whom it May Concern],

I am writing to recommend [full name of person you’re recommending] for [thing you’re recommending them for].

I have known [person you’re recommending] for [number months or years] as a [friend, coach, neighbor, etc].

From my experience, [person you’re recommending] is [qualities the person has, such as “honest,” “kind,” easy to work with,” etc].

One example of [his/her] character is when [he/she] was [something specific he/she did that showed character].

Based on our experience together, I can confidently recommend [person you’re recommending] for [thing you’re recommending the person for].

Sincerely,

[Your Name + Signature]

3. Academic letter of recommendation.

[Today’s Date]

Dear [Mr./Mrs./Ms./To Whom it May Concern],

I am writing to recommend [full name of student you’re recommending] for [thing you’re recommending them for].

I have known [Person you’re recommending] for [number of semesters, months or years]. [He/She] has been a student in my [list classes of your student has taken] classes. We’ve also worked on [any other projects you’ve worked on together].

I have always known [person you’re recommending] to be [qualities the student has, such as “a dedicated student,” “hard-working”].

I was especially impressed with [his/her] work on [specific task or project performed] where [he/she] was able to [something specific he/she accomplished].

Based on our experience together, I can confidently recommend [student you’re recommending] for [thing you’re recommending the student for].

How do I end a personal reference letter?

At the end of the letter, you should clearly state whether or not you would recommend the person in question for the position that they are seeking. Your recommendation (positive or negative) should reflect what you have said about the person in the main text of your letter.